Buick Nailhead V8s: The Unsung Heroes of the Oxcart/Blackbird Program

Two men in orange pressure suits exit a navy blue van near a shelter at Beale Air Force Base, California. Though they look the part, they’re not astronauts. However, the plane they’re about to strap themselves into will take them closer to the edge of space than almost any air-breathing jet aircraft in the world. Nearby, a squat olive-drab box on wheels sits linked up to the right engine of the strange plane, emitting low growls as though it was a race car idling. Pre-flight checks are completed and the the two clamber up metal roll-away stairs, assisted by highly-trained Air Force personnel who have rehearsed this scenario over and over again until it is easily repeated through muscle memory.

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Buick Nailhead V8s: The Unsung Heroes of the Oxcart/Blackbird Program